


According to My Research, We Should Be Dead

by Dicey101



Series: Protection [2]
Category: Jurassic World (2015)
Genre: Gen, Gray is adorable, cute brotherly bonding, i just love these two i want a sequel right now, zach has a big heart tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-04-17 07:56:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4658739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dicey101/pseuds/Dicey101
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zach does "research" at night when he thinks Gray's asleep, resulting in too much overthinking. Gray knows him better than he thought. </p><p>AKA: Zach is suffering from PTSD and he knows it, so does Gray. Now it's Gray's turn to protect his brother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	According to My Research, We Should Be Dead

Some of the nights when Zach couldn’t sleep, he’d pull out his laptop and do research. Sometimes there’d be a sleeping Gray nuzzled up to his side, other times he spent the nights alone, but those nights were pretty rare nowadays. 

It’d been a few weeks since the night of the thunderstorm that sent the boys to the basement in an attempt to block out the sound of thunder. Sleep brought them enough terror, they didn’t need loud noises triggering them as well. It had also been weeks since Zach had texted one of his various girlfriends... okay, more like months. The short time he had spent at Jurassic World had taught him that there are more important things in life than pretty girls... and maybe the occasional pretty boy. Like family. Like his brother. 

Zach found himself listening now when Gray went off about how many species of lizards there were that down the line connected to dinosaurs. Not just listening but actually interested. The fact that Gray even still talked about dinosaurs with enthusiasm and vigor was enough in itself to keep Zach interested, not wanting to see his brother give up something he loved. But soon enough Zach found himself genuinely interested in dinosaurs. It wasn’t just because they’d almost been dino-dinner, but also because he had a sort of morbid curiosity. 

It really didn’t take long for Zach to take out his laptop one night, turn down the brightness as to not wake Gray who was snoring beside him, and type in the search bar: Jurassic Park. 

In two seconds he had thousands of results: news articles, dedicated fan websites, expensive merchandise, and even some videos. Gray rolled over, burying his face in Zach’s leg. The older brother glanced down and smiled. Looking back at the screen he figured he’d better start small, deciding to read an article entitled ‘The Horrors of Jurassic Park.’  
Three hours later and light was beginning to come into the room from the slowly rising sun. Zach had read all the important articles he could find, including some fan theories and myths. Many people had died there, as they had at Jurassic World too. He closed his laptop and laid down, carefully moving Gray to the other side of the bed. He stared at the ceiling. So many people had died, no, were eaten... by creatures that shouldn’t even exist! Images and thoughts were running ramped inside his head. Zach had one main thought: how were him and Gray still alive? 

 

Another three hours passed by and Zach barely got a wink of sleep, not moving his eyes from the spot on the ceiling, his mind thinking at 100 miles per hour. Several times his hand would reach over to rest on Gray’s chest for a moment or two, just to feel him breathing. More times than not his palms would be pressing into his eyes in frustration. Maybe he needed to get some help, talk to someone about all these sleepless nights.

Before Zach could think more about getting some help, Gray had awoken and flopped himself across his brother. “Why are you still awake?” 

“Why are you up so early?” Zach countered. 

Gray turned his head, messy curls plastered to his face, “I had a nightmare.” 

“Me too.” Zach said it without even thinking as he brushed the hair from his brother’s sleepy face. 

“But you didn’t sleep,” Gray yawned. Zach shrugged and got up from the bed, slinging Gray over his shoulder which earned him a giggle. “Let’s go make some breakfast.” 

 

Three pancakes and a plate of bacon later, the boys sat at the table holding their stomachs. “Zach, did you know that bacon comes from the backside of pigs?” 

Zach leaned back in his chair and grinned, “I think you mean ass.” He heard Gray gasp and couldn’t help but laugh. Soon silence filled the air as they sat digesting their meal. A few moments later Gray spoke, “why were you reading stuff about Jurassic World?” 

Zach silently cursed, he didn’t want Gray to know. Not able to lie straight to his brother’s face, Zach looked away, “I was curious.” He stared into the puddle of syrup left on his plate. He noticed he looked tired. Really tired, and not just physically. He looked... drained. 

“Zach.” 

Zach looked up at his brother, snapping out of it. He was met with a knowing look. How could someone so young know so much? “I- I just don’t understand, okay?”  
Zach snapped, standing up and grabbing their plates off the table. He began to wash them in the sink, angrily scrubbing away. Gray came up silently to his side, placing a hand on his arm. 

That’s all Zach needed to crash. He dropped the plate in the sink and slid to the ground, hands still covered in dish soup suds. “We should be dead, Gray.”  
Gray followed him down and wrapped his arms around his big brother. He thought for a few moments, picking the right thing to say. “We’re right here. We just ate pig ass.” 

Zach couldn’t help but laugh, moving to pull Gray in for a hug. “I know.” 

Gray pulled back and looked at Zach, “you were there for me in Jurassic World when I needed to be protected. Now I’m here for you in the real world because you need protecting too,” Gray punctuated his words by standing up and offering Zach his hand. 

Zach smiled, heart swelling from the words of his smart little brother. He was convinced in that moment that no one would ever be able to read him like Gray could. Maybe going through the same near death experiences together does that to people.  He took the hand and got up, wrapping his arm around Gray’s neck and giving him a halfhearted noogie. “Come on, bet you ten bucks I can beat you in a round of Mario Kart.” 

“You’re on!” Gray broke out of the hold and sprinted to the basement door, “race you there!” And he was shooting down the stairs, clearly not thinking of a fair race. Zach chased him anyway, pushing him onto the couch in the basement when Gray started teasing about getting there first. 

They had almost died, more than once, learning just how much trying to survive can do to you. But they were right there, having just ate pig ass on a Sunday morning, challenging each other to Mario Kart. They were together and breathing, and as Zach lost his bet and Gray laughed and demanded his ten bucks, Zach knew that everything would be okay, that they would be okay.


End file.
